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Ever since I set foot into my first Wegmans many years ago (that feels weird to say), the love affair has remained and grown infinitely. What’s not to love?

If you’ve ever visited one (a location hopefully near you can be found here) you know the possibilities of happiness are endless. You know it’s more than just a grocery store. It’s a source of joy, peace, harmony, and more food than you know what to do with.

And speaking of such inspiration, while I was at my local Wegmans recently, I felt like the time was right to try a couple of their frozen pizzas.

I’m not that highly critical of pizza. It’s not that serious. I like to have fun with this, and that’s truly the whole point of doing this, or hopefully most of what you and I do. My criteria for grading frozen pizzas might be different than when I get a pie or slice from a slightly upscale or fine dining establishment. But the constant is that as long as the pizza tastes good and comes from a place of soul and feeling, I know it was prepared with the best of intentions.

This is why I feel it’s ok to be critical when a pizza may not live up to mine or your expectations. And that’s what we have here. One pizza is tremendous, the other leaves much to be desired.

I’ll begin with the latter.

The Buffalo Chicken was disappointing. For all how it appears on the box, it doesn’t translate to anything positive after the fact.

My first concern was how little chicken you actually see on the pizza itself. But I’m not going to judge it on its cover or unwrapped before even heating. But after the fact was really missing so much.

Whatever ranch and buffalo sauce I’m supposed to be tasting, I ain’t getting. And while I secretly hoped some more pieces of chicken would appear, that was not the case. The mix of mozzarella, white cheddar, and gorgonzola cheeses were non existent. It’s not that they weren’t there, it’s just that they didn’t seem to taste like any of the aforementioned cheeses. It just seemed like mozzarella, bad sauce, and some poorly prepared white meat chicken. The crust is really good, as is in the..

The Southwest Style is the pie you want to get. This is the complete opposite of what I wrote above. This mix of mozzarella and cheddar cheese is how you do it. The pieces of chicken are light years ahead of the chicken in the previous pie.

The taco sauce layered on top of the pizza is distinct yet it’s not invasive to anything else on the pizza. That’s an important detail when it comes to a pie like this. The peppers and onions really add a nice charm to a pie that you might overlook or not even find to your liking.

That’s what makes this pizza experience so fun. If you asked me, I would’ve thought the Buffalo Chicken would be the pizza to look forward to going in. My pleasant of all surprises is how great the Southwest Style is. It’s fantastic.

With their frozen pies at $4 per pizza, it’s worth giving a look, and you can get a couple of meals out of it. In a world where we’re always looking to save money, that’s a great deal.

Wegmans is always going to be a great deal, no matter how you look at it. Not everything is going to be perfect but when it is, it makes everything that much better.

The amount of pizzas and appetizing entrees in general to try is unlimited and unpredictable. This place makes me so happy and even if I’m not writing about it, I’m here multiple times a week.

If and when the opportunity presents itself, I’ll try a couple more pizzas. This might call for a bonus post outside of a Friday, if I find the time.

There’s that old cliche that if you stop looking for things, they come to you. I’m not articulating it as properly as I could, but I think you know what I’m saying. Watching too many cheesy (ha) Christmas movies a little earlier than maybe one should will get one overly sentimental. Oh my…

Well where am I going with all this?

I’m so blessed to live in an area that is close enough to many busy cities and towns (Baltimore, Annapolis, DC, Philadelphia, and many places in, between, and around the area) that I get more of a pick of pizzas places and for that matter, places to go in general then if I were living in somewhere more remote. I should not take that for granted. It’s significant now and it’s going to mean something that much bigger later. Oh here I go being sentimental and dopey again…

Where did I end up earlier this week, that has gotten feeling so emotional? I mean it’s only pizza right? But how can become so invested in something if I don’t have passion for it?

This week my travels brought me to Vienna, Virginia, which is right outside Washington, DC.

First of all, I technically have not written about a pizzeria in Vienna, so any new location is easily going to get me excited. Second, while there’s still historic, more authentic, and older parts of Vienna that are easily accessible, it’s becoming like many other towns, and many other cities across the country, lots of chains, lots of town centers that portray themselves as something they’re not, and lots of transient people.

So when I find a local place, that’s where I’m going first. And remember, I wasn’t looking…

This brings me to Arosto Pizza in Dunn Loring. Which is now more than a metro station, it’s a conglomerate of things that I may or may not have ever been to. There’s chains, a grocery store, and a bunch of things that all look the same, but within all that Arosto brings a much needed local face that we can never have enough of.

The stone hearth pizza oven which heats up these gems is just that, a gem. Some people may frown upon this kind of rapid fire pizza making, and I might have been one of those people, but I got over it. The crusts on both of my orders tasted differently in a good way. My taste buds got a doughy, buttery, and most importantly comforting feeling at times. And as we approach the holidays, this is the kind of pizza and food you want.

Man this was fantastic.

I’m singing the praises before I even tell you what I ordered. Yeah it was that fun.

I was going to go with the cheese, but since I’m only here every once in a while, I went with two distinctively different pies, the District White and, the Smoked Beef Brisket. The latter seems to be appropriate for the time of year.

The Brisket looks like art. The presentation is immaculate. Upon first reading, I thought the slaw would be infused into the pie, which would be quite ambitious. And when re-reading the menu, it would be easy to make that determination. But they pile it on high on top of this already gorgeous array of brisket, cheddar cheese, onions, and scallions. If I had one gripe is maybe a little more brisket would have been preferred. There was just enough (which means not too much for me) barbecue sauce that everything is easily accessible, easy to be tasted, and nothing gets lost in the shuffle.

And like I said, that crust is tremendous. I like saying that word a lot, ‘tremendous’. It’s tremendous, stellar, awesome, and anything else awesome you want to add. Ha…

But even with that being said, the simplicity of the District White was my favorite of the two.

The combination of spinach ricotta sauce (I know right, yum!), mozzarella, romano, and fontina cheeses is already a winner. And I’ve frowned upon some of the whites I’ve had in the past for being overdone, but this was creative, yet simple, and that’s all anyone can ask for. It’s done just right without doing too much. I think there’s an analogy in there somewhere.

I would be happy with that, but they drizzled on some fresh basil that puts this pie over the top after it was already over. And believe me it’s all over after this. The pizza never had a chance. And the visual of the spinach ricotta by itself is visually mesmerizing.

I’m craving some right now. Thankfully I have leftovers.

The prices are listed with the menu, and while there isn’t a lot of places to compare it too, I find them reasonable for their medium vs. large pies. But again, no need to compare it to anyone or anything. These are charming pies that avoid all the pretentiousness that you find in the DC and Northern Virginia areas.

They heat everything in front of you. I was in and out in 10 minutes. But there was no rush. I relaxed a little bit in the small park right outside of one of my new favorite pizza places.

Sometimes life works out, the planets and stars align, and the universe does look out for you. It looks out for us in more ways than we realize. We might not always see it. I know I don’t always see it. And even with all the good that is about to transpire this weekend, I may not fully grasp how beautiful the next few days are going to be, until way after its over. I know I’ll love it while it’s happening, but I’ll look back fondly on it even more as time goes by. This is more than nostalgia or reminiscing. Some thing just hit you. You wish time would stand still, you could do this all day, you could do this forever, and you could be around these people forever.

Carpaccio Tuscan Kitchen is literally footsteps from the Westin, and has been as convenient and a go-to for me as any. Well why do I say convenient and go to? Isn’t this a sit-down restaurant with fine dining, a place to relax, and appreciate the food and surroundings? Well yes, but I’ve actually never eaten here. What I’m actually referring to is Carpaccio 2go which is adjacent to the restaurant, and I mean this with all sincerity, looks like something I’ve never seen. I almost feel like it’s too good to be true in a way. I don’t know how to explain it but the location is perfect, and I can’t exactly put my finger on why.

Maybe because many pizza places with slices to go don’t look as beautiful as this. But if you look around the vicinity, the tiny of white colors of the building, the hotel, and the residential units across the way, all match. While the area looks pricey, and of course it is, it almost feels supernatural in a way. Again, it’s all open to your interpretation, but there’s an architectural and metaphysical force that worked in concert with each other to create all this. In some ways, it”s almost too beautiful. But I should appreciate all the beauty for what it is.

I’ve been to the carry out side many times and because of the location and the aura I was feeling, I had immensely high expectations. Now, not every time is going to be mentioned or will every slice be featured. I will reserve it to two visits for now, which means a total of four slices.

The first visit I will discuss was back in late Summer. Now it’s hot and pizza is hot, so what am I trying to say? I really don’t know haha, but my slices on this day were the Sausage and Peppers, and then Chicken Pollo. Now I know what I was trying to say. I think some slices work better in different climates, similar to how we drink wine, and how we eat other foods during certain times and certain seasons.

While I’ve had mainly good experiences here, I know the best was still to come. The sausage and peppers with onions was really good, and went great with your standard mozzarella cheese slice. I will say without sounding like a broken record, the crusts on all these slices were heated tremendously. You can see the colors across the board. There was a lot of time and care put into the making of the dough and the heating. You don’t need to be an expert. You can just tell those things.

Now I had high aspirations for the pesto. I’ve ranted and raved about my love for pesto throughout my journey, and I wanted to love this one so much. It was good but I know the best was still to come. The pesto aioli was fantastic. Maybe for me the white pizza with chicken, tomatoes, and those yummy mushrooms (more on the mushrooms shortly), caused a little bit of the flavors to be lost. But still a good slice I would definitely have again.

Now moving on to earlier this week, this is where expectations were matched and succeeded.

It almost seemed like the pizzas on display looked shinier and brighter, and I could do no wrong no matter what I ordered. I was spot on and then some.

The Margherita looks like art and tastes like art. The marinara sauce is heavenly. The photo doesn’t say it all but it says a lot. Oh my goodness. This is up there with one of the better slices I’ve had. The basil, garlic, mozzarella, and olive oil just makes this simple pizza one of the best I’ve had not just here but anywhere. And the crust was even better today.

Not to be outdone is the Wild Mushroom. I love mushrooms and can have them with just about anything. But when you throw gorgonzola, you’ve got to be kidding me, this is a gem. Cremini and portobello mushrooms really make this pie but the combination of two contrasting cheese in mozzarella and gorgonzola also make this an absolute masterpiece.

Recall how I said you look back on things with even more love and romanticism as time goes by? This is how I felt about this visit. I’ve been here many times and something about this one was just a cut above the rest. I sensed it and maybe the universe did too. This won’t be the last time I talk about them. The next time will be from the actual restaurant itself, which is gorgeous inside and in the patio area as well. If you’ve visited then you know I’m talking about. Yes I’ve never eaten there but was in awe of what I saw.

Then there’s Hot Tomatoes. It’s one of those things where if you live or hang out in the area, you know what you’re getting. I was thinking myself that it was too obvious and almost unnecessary to write about this establishment. This is not a knock on them or their food. It’s just that it’s always been there and it’s not going anywhere. And imagine any late night, especially on the weekends, where slices are coming and going at a rapid-fire place. The place isn’t going anywhere as long as people had a good night (or even a bad night) out and need something to finish the night off and feed their bellies.

But with the Festival starting this weekend, I felt like if I’m not going to write about Hot Tomatoes now, I may never.

For me, I don’t know if I have any sentimental attachment to Hot Tomatoes. I’ve been and many of us have been too many times to count. But after a while we look for other sources for greasy food to keep us satisfied. And while a couple of places have closed nearby (Little Italy Pizzeria and Italian Graffiti come to mind), this neighborhood staple has stood the test of time. Having a prominent location on Broadway helps. Location….

So how’s the pizza? Its’s pizza. It’s food. There’s some folks prepping the pies, putting sauce, putting cheese, toppings, and throwing it in the oven. Then when it’s ready they’ll slice it up and put it in a box or you to go. See where I’m going with this? It’s pizza that looks rough, is not going to win any world title belts, but it serves its purpose. And that’s just the way they want it. And it’s just pizza. Many of us at later hours don’t care about artisanal quality and world renowned craftsmanship.

But something happened recently. They’ve changed their slices up quite a bit. I had a Greek slice with olives, onions, feta, and a whole slew of awesomeness. It was a white based and it was surprisingly good. I mean that with all sincerity. Because of Hot Tomatoes presents itself, you expect what you expect. But when they throw a good slice that is, your taste buds are feeling good and it’s a welcome change from the standard cheese and pepperoni. If this slice is on display this weekend I’ll gladly get another.

Their slices are in the $4-$5 range but their big, and prices at the late night hour are really not what folks are worrying about.

What is their true stand out if their deep fried cheese steak. They don’t always make it, but when it’s there, jump on it. It’s the most unhealthy and glorious of all guilty pleasures. I’ve always had to split mine with a pal. It’s incredibly bad for you, yet incredibly delish all at once.

And now their other venture, at the same location, Diablo Doughnuts is really wowing people. I had my first opportunity to try their sweet treats and a wedding last weekend. I believe I had one with fruity pebbles. So good.

UPDATE :

This has been updated with my actual first purchase of donuts from said Diablo, during the festival, which was rather mellow on Sunday.

I grabbed an iced coffee, along with a Samoa (yes the Girl Scout kind), and a Blackberry Lime. I thought they were both fine, but in what ways do I compare this to other doughnuts? I like the creativity of flavors, but not sure if this is anything amazing in my eyes. They were tasty though. That’ all that matters.

I’m assuming they will still have a stand outside of their shoppe. Per neighborhood and logistical changes the festival will be condensed this year, to try to make it even a heavier focus on local business and give it a more cozy and welcoming feel. I’ve always felt was it inviting and approachable to people from all walks of life. I’m hoping this change is a good one. We shall see.

Broadway Square, with the exception of the pretzel dog and lemonade stand, has opened back up in time for this weekend. All signs pointing to a positive experience and a great time.

I’ve been attending this festival every year, except for 2003, since 2000. It’s become a part of me, a part of many of us, and it’s that first weekend in October that many of us look forward too. For me, it hasn’t always been the most amazing of times, mainly because I think the festival got carried away with trying to be too big and getting carried away with outside food, drink, and traveling carnival like vendors.

But the last few years have been fantastic, with being able to drink on the streets, and keep it more local, has been a welcome addition. And an addition by subtraction.

After last week, I’m feeling even more compelled to get nostalgic about pizza memories and the town of Rockville, MD, where my dad has built a great reputation for himself as a small business owner, and has cultivated and nourished relationships for over 35 years

Time flies…

As time goes on, towns change and they tend to start looking like every other. That can be good but in many instances sentimental folks such as myself miss how towns looked 20+ years ago, and in some instances still look like today, but are on the verge of changing. With that situation I almost feel that the historic parts of a town, or the signs on the road are there in spite of, or in spite of everything else around it. See what I’m saying?

The more things change, some things to remain the same. My dad’s business has changed locations ever so slightly. Literally from one suite many years ago to its current location. But the heart and soul has remained the same throughout its entirety.

Many years ago it was located in an old looking and aging strip mall (many years ago you would’t call it that), but it was home to many visits by me and my friends after high school or after classes at the local community college. And sometimes I would grab a slice or pie with my dad. It was walking distance, so it was convenient, but in a way we took it for granted, because it was so close.

We didn’t eat here enough but when we did we acknowledged that it’s good pizza that fills you up, makes you feel good, and made life easy when cooking or sitting at a restaurant isn’t an option. And the affordability was a plus too.

The tremendous deal I remember still exists. Even with inflation, two slices and a soda is only $5.50. Beautiful.

And now it sits in its current home next to a movie theater. You can call it movie theater pizza, you can all it anything you want. But it’s pizza that you can appreciate for what it is. It’s the history I have with the place that brings me back. No it’s not the best pizza you or I will ever have. But does it really matter in this or most circumstances? Five dollars and change is the best.

For my father I got a cheese and random toppings on the other. He just likes pizza with toppings on them, that don’t always make sense. But for me I find that endearing. And I got a somewhat supreme slice with just the pepperoni, onions, and peppers.

Everything was fresh and everything was fine. It’s going be to be fine…

I was thinking about this earlier today before writing. My dad once lived within walking distance of the Gaithersburg location and didn’t go often. Again, maybe because it’s always gong to be there.

I say lets not take things for granted. There will always be reasons to go or not go somewhere, to try or avoid something new, and throw all the excuses or ignoring signs to do this or that. But it’s important to appreciate what’s around you along with going outside of where you reside or work. But it’s also important to appreciate what’s right in front of you. This isn’t just abut a restaurant, store, or entity near you. It’s about everything. It’s ok to walk past something to revisit it later. But if something is there, waiting to be embraced, then that’s exactly what you and I should do.

I write this projecting a lot, because life is about seizing the moment and grabbing things while you still can, and while you’re still here on this Earth.

This is only a pizza blog, but it’s the spiritual aspects that I wanted to hone in on. And I don’t just mean this week, but preceding posts and for the duration. I will as much as I can.

But for now, I’m sending good vibrations to you, my father, my family, my friends, and the rest of the universe.

There may be one more post down the line incorporating pizza, my dad, and my family. And after that, I hope the next time will be a meal which actually involves my loving family sitting together, and embracing all the love we have or one another.

I honestly don’t know what to say. Columbia, MD has always been an intriguing topic of discussion with my friends. Actually I tend to be the one that brings it up. I’m softy for the area. Some of my friends don’t care for it for the same reasons I adore it. It’s been deemed to safe, too happy, and too transparent. Well it may be all of those things to some and some (or many) may be fine with that. I see the good but understand why others see the negatives.

Yes they have pizza, something which not every store has. They also have one of the most incredible views you’ll ever see from a grocery store, like the one you see above. But how was the pizza? In short, I’ve had much better. I’m also looking at this from a standpoint of this being a supermarket. That doesn’t mean I’m lowering my standards. It means I still expect it to be on par with the better pizzas we’ll have at a restaurant or at home. It should still taste good.

There was a lot of confusion with what their pizza is. Is it Artisanal, Neapolitan, Wood Fired, Brick Oven, or all of the above? That first word, artisanal, is used so much and by everybody, I’m not sure how much value it has anymore. This has nothing to do with Whole Foods, but everywhere.

I went with the Grilled Shrimp Pizza (which was the weekly special) and the White. Neither blew me away nor was either one terrible.

The shrimp looked mightily impressive but something just didn’t add up. I think as whole these ingredients didn’t work well together. I love feta, shrimp, tomatoes, and red onions. And I imagine if this was prepared in a different fashion or with a different energy (but with the exact ingredients and dough) that this would work to near perfection. Maybe feta on top of mozzarella is a clash of two cheeses. It may not work.

However, even when I picked off the shrimp, it didn’t taste like I had hoped. The sauce may have tarnished the shrimp and everything else. These ingredients don’t work with their tomato sauce. The crust wasn’t anything special either. This pizza was ok but this was an opportunity lost.

The white was a little better but not anything special. It was kind of just there. And I’m honestly surprised. I thought this would be simple yet delicious, and I wasn’t wowed by it. Both slices were ok to eat but not out-of-this-world. And I didn’t finish either.

I can’t complain on the prices though. For a place that charges a lot of for their groceries, salad bar, and hot bar, etc., getting two slices for $6 is a bargain anywhere.

I just wished what I ate would have been one to write home about, as opposed to expressing my disappointment. This won’t deter me from trying some more in the future. As you can see, they have an assortment of slices and I’m certain there’s a few that will be praised in a post here down the line.

But these views from the outside dining area are worth coming back for alone. This is one of the newer additions in town, and one of the more visually pleasing parts of town. That storefront is quite welcoming. It draws me in more time than not when I’m visiting. I haven’t done many repeats, yet I’ve teased doing some down the line. This has been added to that list.

The comfort and companionship of our animal friends is invaluable. There is no price the love and friendship that comes from a dog, a cat, or any of our other pals with paws brings. So when I find a place, not just a pizza place, but a place that supports helping and protecting our friends, I’m all aboard and then some. More on this near the end.

I had been to Lost Dog Cafe one time but I didn’t order anything. My time was limited and was only looking for slices on that particular day. The wait time was 15-20 minutes for food that I decided that day was not meant to be. Why force the issue on some deliciousness when you know that there will be a place for this in time.

There’ll be a day where I can appreciate a pie where a little more time and craftsmanship than usual. Man I’m setting myself up for a disappointment aren’t I? Well when it comes to an individual sized pie (which is the smallest they have) I’m hoping for something that feels a little more, well personal.

South Arlington was the setting and upon walking up, I felt like I was on a set of a movie and everyone was on break. It seemed eerily quiet. It was lunch hour so I wonder where all the people went. But I should also appreciate the quiet time that has been presented to me, as I know it’ll be temporary.

Inside there’s nothing but pictures and murals of dogs in happy situations. That makes me happy. I took some but wanted to leave more to your imagination. If you’ve been here, like many of my friends in Northern Virginia have, you know any of their locations have set ups like this.

If I lived here I’d be a regular of all five, in some way, shape, or form. That form would be the love of pizza and pups.

So like I was saying, I’ve praised this place beyond the point of turning back. Am I positioning myself for a letdown? Absolutely not.

Since this was officially my first time ordering, I did strain and agonize over what to get. The menu has more choices than a simple man knows what do to do with. I mean this is life changing stuff. This could make a break a persons day or life. Wait did I just say that? Priorities.

Then something hit me. Breathe, relax, it’s not that serious. It’s not. I may always be this way but the pizza and ordering experience in general, but it’s supposed to be fun. We have enough unnecessary stress, this should not be one of them.

After that over-the-top dramatic build, I went with Pete’s Pie, which is one of their newer recipes.

I don’t know who Pete is but I want to say thank you. Oh my and pizza party was this a pie. I was engrossed in this excitement I forgot the base of this was a white pie. At $12, this was a deal and a steal.

That crust is comfort food to the max. I can only describe it as something that is perfect to pair with a soup or any many meal. It feels like this dough matches the change in the weather. Of course this would be enjoyed year round, but I felt like as a introduction, this is how it was always supposed to be.

Pete’s hot sauce along with not just red onion, but green onion, might sound fiery, but anyone can handle this. And that shredded chicken, you’ve got to be kidding me. Chicken whether it’s in strips, cubed, or dice, is all wonderful. But something about shredded gives you more flavor and more of a savory taste when eating.

This pie never had a chance. Well I did save some for later. And it was just as awesome the second time around.

On that alone, I want to be a support of there’s for life. Having phenomenal pizza is a bonus at this point. It’s just a little gravy on a wonderful experience that brings positive energy to our pals with paws, and on that note, to our universe in general.